I did BCT for six weeks and made newbie-like gains… but it's hard, hard work.īCT is basically a giant circuit of supersets. It requires bucketloads of protein and many hours of sleep afterwards. And let's not forget.barfing is actually a BAD thing and not something you ever want to do after a workout.īCT is not for the faint hearted. Strips sets, endurance training…all things that require you to rest for short periods of time (or not rest at all!).īut the most intense "short rest" workout I've ever done was Bahlow Circuit Training… I almost barfed. I've done a number of things over the years to crank up training intensity. Bodybuilders are better at clearing lactic acid. A strict set of 15 to 20 reps should take you between 45 seconds and 1 minute to complete… which works out to a rest period of between 45 seconds and 2 minutes.Īnd here's a final interesting fact: bodybuilders (who train with short rest periods and high reps) are more fatigue-resistant than powerlifters (long rest, low reps)(Kraemer, 1987). To increase muscular endurance as quickly as possible, the best rest period is 45 seconds to 2 minutes between sets.Ĭoaches from a variety of endurance-related sports usually recommend a 1:1 or 1:2 work-rest interval to increase your body's lactate threshold (Sleamaker & Browning, Winbourne, 1998, Horswill, 1992). Muscle fatigue, caused by lactate production, has also been implicated in short-term strength gains and significant hypertrophy (Rooney et al, 1994). But it's been shown that the increased blood flow to your muscles helps the protein get there quicker (Biolo et al, 1995). I know it sounds like old-school "pump" talk. Short rest periods also cause other muscle-building bonuses like increased lactate production and blood flow to the targeted muscles (Kraemer, 1997 Kraemer et al, 1987). Short rest periods of between 1 and 2 minutes cause a greater release of these hormones than longer rest periods (Kraemer et al, 1991 Kraemer et al, 1990). How? Well, one of the key factors in how much muscles grow is the amount of anabolic hormones your body produces after weight training (McCall et al, 1999). Because your glycolytic system has come to the party, your body doesn't need to rest as long between sets as when you're strength training.īodybuilders take advantage of shorter rest periods to make their muscles BIGGER. Think of the ATP-PC system as a racehorse and the glycolytic system as a steady, dependable Clydesdale. To get stronger faster, the best rest period is 3 to 5 minutes between sets. Let's look at WHAT those different rest periods are and, most importantly, explore WHY they are. Not surprisingly, with each specialized program comes a different requirement for rest periods. If we want to be stronger, we should follow a training program that increases our strength as quickly as possible. The "best" amount of time to rest between sets, like most things in bodybuilding, depends on what specific goal you're training for.ĭo you want to be stronger, more muscular or increase your stamina? Common sense and research tells us that we can only pursue one goal at a time. Bonus Question: Have you ever used one of those "intense" workouts with absolutely minimal amount of time between sets just to try to break a plateau or try something different? Something like doing 10 sets of squats with only 15 seconds between sets, until you are on the verge of puking? If so, what was the workout exactly? How often should you do it? Did it help your overall gains?
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